No soy amiga de traidoras,
Joan Smalls wrote on Instagram, igniting a high-profile celebrity fallout that spans international runways and professional football dynasties.
That sharp public rebuke, later deleted alongside a flurry of other pointed social media posts, exposed the sudden collapse of a 15-year friendship between two of the fashion industry’s most recognizable fixtures, Joan Smalls and Candice Swanepoel. At the center of the dispute lies Tom Brady, whose personal life has once again thrust him into global headlines.
The Victoria’s Secret Runway Reunion That Never Was
The rift first became apparent during the recent Victoria’s Secret fashion show circuit, when followers noticed a conspicuous absence. Smalls and Swanepoel, longtime colleagues and close companions both on and off the catwalk, failed to appear in any photographs together—a departure from their usual public appearances. Curious fans flooded Smalls’s Instagram account, where she commands 5,6 million followers, to ask about the missing joint appearances. Her blunt reply—No soy amiga de traidoras
—brought underlying personal tensions into public view.
Supermodel friendship drama?! 👀 Victoria's Secret models Joan Smalls and Candice Swanepoel have sparked speculation about a major falling-out after fans noticed the longtime friends no longer follow each other on IG and weren't pictured together at this year's Victoria's… pic.twitter.com/3iNgGc9ZKC
The friction stems from a complicated sequence of romantic entanglements involving Brady. According to information surfaced by celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi, Smalls and Brady maintained an intermittent relationship for roughly a year. Neither public figure ever formally confirmed that romance, but the publication indicated that Swanepoel knew about the dynamic and privately urged Smalls to end it, citing concerns tied to Brady’s past marriage to supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
From Situationship to New Romance in Miami
The situation shifted significantly after Smalls and Brady parted ways. According to reporting from People, Brady and Swanepoel subsequently began dating quietly. Sources close to the situation noted that both individuals reside in Miami, making regular clandestine meetings convenient. They have been dating for a while and have been very discreet and selective about who they tell, according to People. The couple went to great lengths to avoid public detection.
While industry representatives have attempted to maintain calm, the personal fallout has played out across digital platforms. Amanda Ruisi, a representative for Swanepoel, told Just Jared that the South African model remains protective of her private life and still respects the extensive history she shared with Smalls. Meanwhile, Smalls leaned into digital allusions, responding to a Just Jared post about the feud by invoking the reality television show Summer House—a reference to a dynamic where a participant enters a relationship with a close friend’s former partner—while also lamenting a lack of basic respect and the permanent loss of a 15-year friendship without an apology, as documented by Page Six.
Fallout and Public Silence from Brady and Bündchen
Neither Brady nor Swanepoel has issued a direct public statement addressing the specific mechanics of the controversy. The attention instead casts a fresh spotlight on the 49-year-old former New England Patriots star, who retired from professional football in February 2023. This latest chapter unfolds four years after his divorce from Bündchen, with whom he was married for 13 years and shares two children. A representative for Bündchen recently told People that the supermodel wishes lo mejor
for her former husband.
